The Last Words of 20 Cultural Icons

Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney, who died last week at the age of 74, was laid to rest in Dublin yesterday. During the memorial, his son reveled that his father’s last words were sent in a text message he wrote to his wife just minutes before he passed away: “Noli timere” – Latin for “don’t be afraid.”

There is something comforting — albeit maybe a little morbid — about the idea of having your last words recorded for the rest of time. In a world full of second chances, you can only utter your final words once. Here’s how a selection of cultural icons bid farewell to this world.

“I’ll finally get to see Marilyn.” — Joe DiMaggio, referring to his ex-wife, Marilyn Monroe